Chapter 83: Long Chen and Round One Result Announced
In a barren land, the bodies of beasts were littered throughout the desolate realm, making it seem like a battlefield from ancient times. The whole world was painted in crimson, the source—none other than the huge Red Moon in the sky.
Somewhere in this barren land, inside a cave, faint blood-red light seeped in through the tiny cracks in the wall and the boulder placed in front of the entrance to block it. With the help of this dim glow, the silhouette of a person could be seen, sitting with his back against the cave wall. The smell of blood emanating from him attracted tiny insects, eager to feast.
However, the rising and falling of the person's chest kept the insects at bay, unsure whether to take action or not. They glanced at their kin, waiting for one to make the first move, but even they were afraid to get close.
Hiss—
Just then, a viper slithered in from the depths of the cave, causing the other insects to flee. For a moment, unbeknownst to humans, a small chaos ensued within the cave.
The viper, with its reptilian eyes, silently observed its prey. It had also been drawn in by a scent it had not tasted in ages. But desire did not cloud its judgment. Inside, it was torn between attacking or not. The viper glanced at the insects that had just fled, now watching it from a distance.
It hardened its resolve. Even animals had their pride. As the strongest and most venomous creature present in the cave, it could not let its reputation be tarnished. The blood from the person was too enticing—so much so that, for a moment, the viper's eyes became dazed, an image of fresh red blood still dripping from the person's body appearing in its mind.
Hiss—
It could no longer resist and gave in to its desire. Hissing, it slithered toward its prey, completely blinded by its hunger. It did not even notice the silhouette moving slightly. The person's consciousness was returning. In the viper's eyes, the figure's appearance finally became clear—a man, disheveled and battered. A long, three-fanged slash wound stretched from his right shoulder to the left side of his ribcage.
The viper struck like a lightning bolt, its fangs bared and venom glistening—only for fingers to clamp around its throat in an instant. A sharp hiss escaped its maw, like steam bursting from a sealed pot. Its scales rasped against his skin, writhing with desperate fury. The creature's tail lashed, producing a dry, rattling sound, but he held firm. Then came the snap—its fangs clicked together as it attempted a futile bite, its venomous strike stopped mere inches from his wrist.
[Hoo... I was afraid that I would lose my successor to a mere viper.]
Long Chen's master's voice echoed inside his brain. The other insects, seeing that even such a powerful entity among them was unable to harm its prey, fled for their dear lives.
Thud—
Long Chen lightly shook his head to regain his vision, but the blood had reached his eye, making it difficult to focus. Just now, his reaction against the viper had been purely instinctual. He had been trapped inside this realm for months—so long that he had lost count. His master had once said that time inside a secret realm could flow differently, even if only slightly.
But even a slight deviation could turn a month inside into months in the outside world.
While traveling back to the sect with his team after completing a mission, a cultivator consumed by inner demons had attacked them. Long Chen, with his master taking over his consciousness, had managed to use his teammates as bait to escape with his life.
But karma for abandoning his teammates came too quickly. Through a series of strange occurrences, he had been transported to this place. Long Chen did not know what this blood-red realm was—only when his master informed him did he realize that he might have triggered some mechanism, opening a portal to the secret realm.
When Long Chen felt guilty for leaving his teammates behind, his master called it a noble sacrifice, saying he could take revenge for their deaths once he escaped. His master even changed his perspective, claiming it was up to him whether to see this secret realm as punishment or a treasure trove.
But what happened next convinced him it was truly karma.
A wolf was walking in his direction. Before it noticed him, Long Chen had no idea what caused it to suddenly start howling at the blood-red moon.
Howl...
The wolf's eyes became dazed, and it charged at whatever lay in its path. Unfortunately, Long Chen was in its way, and the wolf had locked onto him.
Long Chen was not intimidated—after all, it was just a mortal-world wolf. Even if he stood still, it would be unable to harm him. But what he failed to notice was that his once boundless vision had started shrinking...
Meanwhile,
The Sound Transmission Array activated, sending the elder's voice booming across the vast coliseum. His words carried both triumph and disappointment as thousands of disciples held their breath.
"The first round of the tournament has ended! From thousands of participants, only a mere twenty have emerged victorious, securing their place in the next stage! Their names shall be inscribed in the annals of this tournament—remember them well!"
Above the stage, a golden scroll shimmered into existence, each name etching itself onto its radiant surface.
Disciples Advancing to Round Two:
✨ Xue Lingxi ✨ Mei Xueyin ✨ Wei Rong ✨ Lan Rouyan ✨ Han Zemin ✨ Fang Xianwu ✨ Zhao Yunjie ✨ Shen Moyu ✨ Qin Lingshu ✨ Wu Fenghai ✨ Li Zhilan ✨ Gao Heng ✨ Yun Jiayi ✨ Duan Changsheng ✨ Jiang Xiaoyu ✨ Mo Kaifeng ✨ Xu Liang ✨ Huang Zhen ✨ Bai Rou ✨ Yu Shenyan
As the final name appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers. Waves of excitement surged through the stadium. The elder raised his hand, calling for silence once more.
"These twenty stand above the rest! But the true challenge has only just begun. Rest while you can—the next round will not be so forgiving!"
The golden scroll shimmered before vanishing into thin air, leaving only the weight of expectation in its wake.